BLOG

Facebook’s Newest Data Center Is Going Green

Following in a growing line of eco-friendly data centers, Facebook announced on August 15th, 2017 that their newest center in New Albany, Ohio would be powered by renewable energy. The data center’s power sources would include “wind, hydroelectric, and solar power”, according to Facebook’s representative, Lindsay Amos. This New Albany branch is set to open in 2019, becoming the tenth data center for Mark Zuckerberg’s Social Network. Amos also added that, ultimately, the data center’s goal would be, “100 percent clean and renewable energy in our mix for our entire operations”.
With 96% of Facebook’s electrical consumption coming from its data centers, this Ohio project isn’t the first time that the multi-billion dollar company has “gone green”, so to speak. Several of its other data centers are also powered by renewable energy. Facebook’s centers in Fort Worth, Texas, and Altoona, Iowa both run substantially on wind energy. The company has pledged to keep improving its methods for powering other centers in Ireland, Sweden, and additional American facilities too.

Eco-Friendly Data Centers Around the World

Facebook isn’t the world’s first company to turn to conscientious, eco-friendly data solutions. Google, Apple, Netflix, and Kohls have all made similar strides within recent years. While American companies’ journey toward sustainability started ramping up within the last few years, most data centers in Europe already run on renewable energy. Indeed, wind farms, geo-thermal plants, and solar panel installations power a tremendous number of their biggest data facilities.

Scandinavian countries are, arguably, leading the pack when it comes to 100% clean power. After all, Norway and Iceland both benefit from cold temperatures, which can cool a data center naturally and minimize the need for power usage. Just check out our article on Norway’s new, mammoth-sized data center for a recent example. However, since green data centers are thought to reduce overall cost, lower maintenance, and improve the environment, more companies within the United States are expected to follow suit. Over the next few years, it will be interesting to see which businesses follow in Facebook’s footsteps, moving away from nuclear energy and into responsible, future alternatives,

Looking to improve your company’s data management? Contact our team at Silverback Data Center Solutions today. Working across America, we offer upscale data services like migration assistance, staffing solutions, and data consultations. No problem is too big or too small for our experts! You can reach us by phone at 1-888-245-2344 or send an email for fast, professional help.